False economy of transit

The editorial is right about an extension to the Bloor-Danforth subway to replace the Scarborough RT costing more than LRT. However, focusing solely on the budget might well be leading us down a path of false economy.

Remember that the Scarborough RT is an above-ground, often elevated rail line that was opened in 1985. It is Metrolinx’s plan to replace it with LRT, which is an above ground, street-car like rail line.

Metrolinx has refused to consider the subway alternative, which seems myopic when considering the RT’s history. The RT is just 28 years old. Replacing transit infrastructure every quarter century makes no sense; major infrastructure investments such as transit need to be built for centuries, not a few decades.

Add to that the performance history of the RT, plagued through its lifetime with service failures, most often due to inclement weather. LRT supporters claim the issues of RT are solved, which is exactly the same rhetoric used when the RT was new.

Cities like Moscow, Paris, London and New York have proven that subways stand the test of time and of urban growth. Extending the subway to replace the RT is the right solution for the long term.

David Kister, Toronto

I am sorry to disagree with the Star but the subway push gets Mayor Rob Ford votes in Scarborough.